Chicken in Sweet and Spicy Sauce

I don’t know about you but sometimes I draw a blank on what to cook. When this happens, I usually try to get inspired by searching recipes online. But on that one particular day last month, I really had nothing. Nada. So I asked Jeff if he had any ideas. He paused for a while and said, “Chicken in Sweet and Spicy Sauce!” Aha! You see, as one of Jeffri’s specialties, Chicken in Sweet and Spicy Sauce dish doesn’t disappoint. Both of us realized that we had not done this dish in a while. Strangely enough, as soon as he came up with it, I also thought of a dish I had not made in a long time: my Spiced Up, Steamed, and Broiled Tilapia. Funny how some of these cooking ideas seem to be hidden in our memories and that once one pops out another one follows. That’s why I need this blog: to document the many recipes we like.

Anyway, here’s how Jeffri prepares his Chicken in Sweet and Spicy Sauce.

Ingredients:

5 boneless and skinless chicken thighs

2 red bell peppers (slice to thin strips)

3-4 hot finger peppers (chop into short cuts, we include the seeds)

½ of sweet onion (slice to thin strips)

Salt

Black pepper

Chili powder

1 teaspoon of minced garlic

1 tablespoon of canola oil

1 teaspoon of ground coriander

1 tablespoon of ground ginger

A pinch of ground turmeric

Steps:

Place chicken thighs in a medium pot. Fill with water enough to cover the chicken. Add salt, black pepper, and garlic. Bring to boil, reduce the heat, and cook for another 15 minutes (or until the chicken is cooked).

Set aside once chicken thighs are cooked, let them cool down.

Dice the chicken and keep the poaching liquid.

In a different pan (large), heat up canola oil.

Add slices of bell peppers and onion. Cook until they wilt.

Add the diced chicken, chili powder, ginger powder, coriander, turmeric and two cups of the poaching liquid into the the pan.

Add one or two tablespoon of sweet soy sauce (if you don’t have sweet soy sauce, substitute with one tablespoon of honey and a teaspoon of low sodium soy sauce) – or to taste. Please taste periodically to achieve that sweet and spicy balance that is just right for your preference. Now the liquid, spices, and soy sauce (or honey) will blend into the sweet and spicy sauce.

Mix everything together until the chicken is well coated with the sauce.

Cover the pan with a lid over low heat, and reduce by half.

Best served over white jasmine rice.

Serve 2 generously

Jeff’s note:

You could also use skin-on chicken for this dish if you prefer to have crispier texture. Here’s the alternative route:

After poaching, deep fry the chicken over high heat until it becomes golden brown.